Shiro-chan and Ichi-chan
by Aria6
Summary: A rewrite of the Bleach universe... what if Ichigo has always been aware of his inner hollow? Shiro has been his best friend all his life, but what will happen when he meets Rukia and ignites his true powers? And what will Soul Society do? Pairings unknown at this point. I'll take suggestions! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_The little hollow was in pain and terrified._

_He was very young, just barely old enough to be weaned. Not old enough to be outside the nest and certainly not old enough to be in the Living World. But he had been given no choice. The terrifying power that had eaten his mother had come very close to eating him, too. But he'd run when his mother had told him to and had managed to tear open a hole in the wall between the worlds. Anything to escape._

"_Papi?" He whispered, wishing his sire was here. His papi would know what to do. But he'd been hunting when disaster had struck and the pup feared that even his sire would be overcome by the creature that had eaten his mother. "…" The little cub was on his own and he knew it._

_He didn't really know where he was. Everything was strange, nothing was right. There was no sand, only rough textured stone. The things rising up on every side of him were completely foreign. He started figuring them out, though, when he saw a transparent spot and looked inside one. There were people there, humanoid like himself and his papi. Were these dens of some kind? But how could that be? There were so many…._

_The pup sniffed the air, hopeful that the beings inside the den would be good to eat. He needed food, needed it if he ever hoped to go home. But the hollow cub was disappointed. They might look like himself and his papi, but he scented no power from the people inside. They weren't hollows, he knew that much, and he knew that eating them would give him nothing at all. He needed a better meal if he was to return to Hueco Mundo and find his sire._

_The rest of the night he struggled to hunt. He found several hollows but even they did nothing to quell his growing hunger. Whimpering at the pain in his gut the small hollow stumbled on, trying with all his might to find anything worth eating._

_There! The flashes of power made him jerk forward eagerly. If he'd been older and wiser the little pup would have controlled himself better, realized that anything worth eating would be dangerous. But he was young and ravenous. He ran towards the food source and attacked it without thought._

_The food was two people like the ones in the den. There was one with long orange hair and one with short black hair. The orange one was closer so he went for her first, trying to catch her. She fired off strange arrows that seared him, but he was too hungry to care._

_But hunger quickly became panic as the black haired one closed in. The little pup suddenly realized he was outmatched when the man shouted something odd and tossed a powerful blast at him. It seared the pup and he screamed before leaping at the orange one. If he could only secure a meal…_

_It didn't work. A blue sword went through his chest and the pup screamed as he felt his life force begin to fade. Acting purely on instinct he reached out and flowed his reiatsu into the female who had just killed him._

_Female. She was female, and the little hollow was young enough to still recall his time in the womb. Her power called to him in a similar way and he hid himself inside it, wrapping the comforting light power around himself like a blanket. His body dissolved but the cub didn't care. He was safe in his new home. Not hungry, not tired and not afraid._

_Safe._

* * *

_If things had gone differently the pup might have remained like that forever, safe and content and warm._

_But young women would find mates, fall in love and have babies. It was an instinct, a natural need. And if the pup had a great deal in common with the female he had far more in common with the new life growing inside her._

_The pup was not aware of what was happening. His essence naturally flowed to the baby and as the child gained awareness, the pup regained it. They grew together, two lives in a single body, and they shared that existence effortlessly. At first they were not even aware of each other, but as the child gained a sense of self the pup did too. And then they knew they were two, not just one, but it didn't alarm either of them. After all, they had never known anything else._

_And so things went, for many years…_

* * *

"Shiro-chan? Why do you look so scawy?" The little boy lisped, unaware of how adorable he was. But at only two and a half years of age, little Ichigo was quite adorable. He was playing in his sandbox as his mother made supper inside.

"I dunno. Why d'you look so silly? …Oof!" The second little boy in the yard would have made most people stare and any shinigami draw their sword. But there was no one to see, or he wouldn't have been outside his best friend and brother. Bone covered hands gripped a swing as he tried to pull himself onto it. "Gonna get this." He growled, struggling with the swing. Ichi-chan had his mother to put him on the swing, then push him, but Shiro-chan didn't want her to see him. "Ah!" He made a small hiss of satisfaction as he managed to get on the swing. "Um!" He wiggled around until his little butt was in the right place, his stubby little tail wiggling behind him. "…aw." Shiro whined as he tried to make the swing move. He couldn't, he was just too little. "Ichi-chan! Come push me!"

"Okay!" Ichi-chan dropped his dump truck and went over to help Shiro-chan. It was hard for him to reach high enough, but he found that he could pull on Shiro-chan's tail and give him a push that way. Shiro didn't like having his tail pulled but he really wanted to swing. Ichigo giggled as his best friend in the world squealed –

And abruptly vanished as the back door opened. The empty swing almost hit Ichigo in the face before he dodged, looking at his mother. She was smiling happily at him.

"Ichigo! Supper's ready." She called and he ran towards the house.

"Okay!" He said happily, hoping supper was something good. "Is it fish? Shiro-chan wants fish!" Shiro-chan always wanted fish or beef or lamb. He didn't like chicken or pork and he wasn't fond of vegetables although he would eat them. He flat out refused to touch any baked goods although he loved ice cream and chocolate. His mother laughed, scooping him up.

"Yes, we're having whole roasted sea-bream." She said fondly as Ichigo beamed. He could feel Shiro's happiness and that made him happy, too. His father was there and gave him a hug, playing with him as his mother got the table ready. As Ichigo ate Shiro appeared under the table, hidden from the gaze of his parents. He carefully slipped his friend some fish as they ate and giggled as he saw Shiro-chan's bony tail wagging happily.

He loved his best friend.

* * *

For the longest time, Isshin and Masaki thought that Shiro-chan was Ichigo's imaginary friend.

It was a fairly common stage for children, after all. He didn't seem to be growing out of it but that didn't alarm them unduly. Ichigo was a very imaginative and active boy who could keep himself occupied for hours on end. That was very useful and something to be encouraged, especially when the twins came.

Shiro wasn't sure he liked the twins at first. Why did their mother need more pups? She had a fine pup already… two if you counted him, but he supposed you couldn't since Masaki didn't know he was there. If she had more, she wouldn't have as much time for them. Shiro never mentioned his thoughts to Ichigo, though, and his parents both encouraged the little boy to be excited and happy about the coming babies. Gradually, Shiro became excited too. If Masaki and Isshin had less time for Ichigo, that meant that Shiro would have more chances to manifest. That was a great thing!

And that was precisely what happened. With the new babies occupying his mother's time, Ichigo had to become more independent. Shiro helped out with that, playing with Ichigo for so long that Masaki would actually become concerned and go looking for him. Every time he would tell her he was playing with Shiro-chan and she would smile indulgently before spending some time with him. She loved Karin and Yuzu, but her oldest needed attention too. As the twins got older Shiro's time with Ichigo became more limited. Yuzu couldn't see him but Karin could, so whenever the three played together Shiro-chan couldn't be there. To his parents, it seemed like Ichigo was growing out of his imaginary friend.

All of that changed on a rainy autumn day. Masaki and Ichigo went for a walk in the rain, the young boy enjoying splashing through the puddles in his bright yellow galoshes. Shiro-chan was just as glad to be inside Ichi-chan's head. He hated the rain, hated the way it found the openings in his bone and made him wet on the inside. He vaguely remembered that the place he'd come from had had no water, and Shiro could see why. It could find even the smallest of openings and make him damp and it took so long for him to get dry.

So Shiro-chan stayed in Ichigo's inner world. It was a beautiful place, full of sun and bright clouds and the skyscrapers that symbolized his hopes and dreams. The little hollow was very in tune with Ichigo's emotions, though, and felt his sudden panic. Surprised at the strong emotion he looked outwards to see what was the matter.

"Ichigo, no!" Shiro heard Masaki scream and he saw what Ichigo was reaching for. Shiro-chan was really no more advanced than Ichigo. He was relearning himself and his powers as Ichigo grew, and those powers were growing with the boy's. But here he had a crucial advantage. He was a hollow and he could recognize another of his own kind.

Shiro seized control and locked up all of Ichigo's limbs, sending the boy sprawling in the grass. That gave Masaki just enough time to catch up. In and of itself, that wouldn't have done much good. Grand Fisher was there, ready to take a bite of his newest meal. But then Shiro manifested in front of them both, raising his clawed hands and trying to roar. It was an absurd parody of his sire's primal roar, but the sight of the tiny hollow stopped Grand Fisher in his tracks. The ancient hollow had never seen a natural born hollow in his life and he stared at the little thing, who stared right back challengingly.

"SHIRO!" Ichigo screamed as Masaki grabbed him and ran. "SHIRO-CHAN!" Shiro turned just as the old hollow realized he was losing a meal. Roaring in anger he lashed out, knocking the baby hollow away before pursuing his true prey. But Shiro was far from done and Grand Fisher roared again, in pain this time as the little hollow landed on his back and bit him right on the ear. He thrashed and then rolled, trying to get rid of the little beast. Satisfied that Ichigo and Masaki had been given a good head start, Shiro retreated back to Ichigo's inner world. That confused Grand Fisher even more as his annoying opponent abruptly vanished. Completely vexed, the old hollow decided to cut his losses and slid into the river, trying to ignore the irritating sting of the bites. They were poisoned, but he would recover and continue to hunt his prey.

"Shiro-chan…" Ichigo was sobbing, but he brightened as he felt his imaginary friend return. "Shiro-chan! You're okay!" Masaki's pace slowed as she glanced at her boy, her expression troubled. Turning she scanned the area and realizing they had lost the hollow, she gently set Ichigo down. "Mama, Shiro-chan's okay!" Ichigo hugged her and Masaki smiled, gently patting him on the shoulder.

"We're all fine. Let's get home and tell daddy about the monster." She had no powers now, but Isshin could take care of that hollow. Ichigo nodded rapidly. He was still young, and believed his father could do anything.

The rest of the evening, Shiro was very nervous. Ichigo had babbled a rather incomprehensible version of events to Isshin and Masaki had given him a more succinct account of the day and the hollow that had nearly eaten them. She didn't mention Shiro at all, though, and he wondered if she had seen him. Maybe she hadn't? He hoped she hadn't.

Those hopes were in vain. Isshin went out to look for the hollow as Masaki put Ichigo and the twins to bed. Ichigo fell deeply asleep and Shiro manifested in his usual place… the closet. He could sleep in Ichigo's inner world but he didn't like it. It didn't have blankets and there were no good places to den there. The closet was perfect, dark and small and smelling like Ichi-chan. Everything a hollow pup needed.

Shiro-chan was instantly awake when the door opened. Wariness was a survival trait in Hueco Mundo and he'd been good at it, or he wouldn't have survived his dam's death.

"Shiro-chan." Masaki's voice was very quiet, so not to wake Ichigo. The little hollow stiffened before peeking out through a crack in the door. She was looking around the room, Isshin behind her. "Come out Shiro-chan."

"You're sure about this?" Isshin sounded dubious but Masaki nodded.

"He's real and he's here. I saw him… we just want to talk with you Shiro-chan." Her tone was coaxing and Shiro fidgeted in the closet. "We won't hurt you. Please come out Shiro-chan." Shiro wasn't sure what to do. Masaki had seen him, she knew he was real. If he didn't talk to them, what would they do? Nothing good. Shiro understood now that Isshin and Masaki had hunted his kind, keeping this place safe for pups like Ichigo. But he wasn't a normal member of his kind and didn't need to feed anymore. So maybe…?

Masaki and Isshin both looked over sharply as the closet door slid open. At first there appeared to be nothing there, but then there was a flash of bone and a sparkle of one black and gold eye. The little head vanished, but a white, bone covered hand gripped the edge of the door. Tentatively, that little head edged back into view. Masaki drew a deep breath and Isshin tensed as they both saw the mask of bone.

Shiro-chan was pretty scary looking for something that small. His face was a skull mask of bone with forward curving horns, and it masked any true features. Lines of black trailed down that mask, crossing his eyes and highlighting the bright yellow irises that looked out with shy curiosity and wariness. There was a ruff of red fur around his neck, and more ruffs on his wrists. All he wore was a tattered piece of black cloth around his waist, to preserve modesty. A lizard tail flicked a bit as they watched, almost knocking over a shoe.

"You're the hollow who attacked us." Masaki said, shocked by the appearance. She remembered that fateful day all too well, the day she was infected by hollow power. Shiro-chan immediately hid behind the closet door. "No! It's okay… we just want to know about you Shiro-chan." She said gently and he slowly edged out again.

The next few minutes were a bit like coaxing a skittish animal. Isshin had no luck at all, but Masaki finally got Shiro out of his closet and into her lap. The little hollow finally started to talk and did his best to explain why he was here.

"I'm just a pup." He said shyly as Masaki ran her fingers through soft white hair. It was long and well groomed, falling down his back. "I didn't mean to come here… I got lost when my dam was eaten. I was running away." He said matter of factly. It had been a long time, he was done mourning his mother. "I couldn't find anything to eat here and I couldn't go back until I ate somethin'… that's why I attacked you. I'm sorry." He said guiltily. He really did feel bad about it, now that he knew them. Although they had killed him so Shiro supposed he shouldn't feel too guilty.

"Your dam? You were born?" Isshin asked and Shiro huddled against Masaki for a moment. She seemed safer than Ichigo's father, somehow. But then the little hollow nodded.

"Uh huh. I'm natural born." He said proudly. He knew that was special, his sire and dam had both told him so. "I don't have a hole!" Masaki and Isshin exchanged a glance and Shiro was sure they remembered that about him. It was very unusual for hollows. "I was reborn with Ichi-chan and I've been growing up with him. Don't make me go away? Please?" That was what he was afraid of. If they wanted to, they could put him asleep or make him go away somehow. Shiro-chan desperately did not want that. He wanted to be around Ichigo.

"We won't make you go away." Masaki said gently and Shiro relaxed a bit. "But what do you plan to do, Shiro-chan? You don't have a body." She asked, concerned for Ichigo. Shiro-chan just shrugged.

"Dunno. Take care of Ichi-chan?" He was still too little to imagine mating and making a family of his own. Right now, all that mattered was Ichigo and the twins. Although… "Where'd your powers go?" He asked Masaki with disarming directness. "You shoulda been able to kill that bad hollow yourself." He knew that was true, and also knew the light power he'd cocooned himself in was gone. He could feel the lack in her and it worried him. Masaki and Isshin exchanged a glance.

"We don't know." Isshin admitted heavily, resting a hand on his wife's shoulder. He was worried about Shiro but also deeply grateful to the little hollow. He hadn't come running to help Masaki because he thought she had her Quincy powers to keep her safe. He hadn't realized they had completely vanished. "But we want to look into it. Shiro-chan, would you mind if we had a friend examine you? He won't hurt you in any way, and it might help Masaki get better." He assured the little hollow, who tilted his head questioningly.

"Dunno how it could. I left mama a long time ago. But okay!" Shiro wasn't afraid of them now. "Mama?" He said shyly, looking up at Masaki. She smiled at him, just like she smiled at Ichigo. "I've been a good boy, right?" Surely saving them from a hollow qualified. Her smile widened and she nodded. "And good boys get ice cream?" He asked hopefully and she laughed, giving him a hug.

"Of course!" He started to cheer but she shushed him, pointing towards Ichigo. He was still sleeping and had school the next day. "Would you like some chocolate and sprinkles on it?"

"Uh huh!" Shiro-chan nodded vigorously. Chocolate syrup was his favorite thing. Soon they were in the kitchen and he had a nice scoop of ice cream, drizzled with chocolate and dazzled with colorful sprinkles. The little hollow savored it, glad he had this. His sire had often brought him the choice bits of a kill, back in Hueco Mundo, but this was better. Masaki and Isshin watched the little hollow eat, and smiled as the bone tailed waved happily.

It was hard for something as scary looking as Shiro to be cute, but he did come very close.


	2. Growing Up

For the next month, Masaki was very sick.

The twins were mostly oblivious, still being very young. Ichigo and Shiro were both very worried, but there wasn't much they could do. Shiro was examined quite thoroughly by a man in a hat and a man with silver hair, but they both said he had nothing to do with Masaki losing her powers. There were many discussions about adult things and Shiro managed to sneak around and eavesdrop. He figured out that the silver man's wife had died and they thought it was connected to Masaki's illness. The word Quincy came up but Shiro didn't understand what it meant.

In the end, though, they found a way to fix it. Shiro noticed one day that Isshin's power was much weaker and Masaki had a power that felt like him, not the light power she'd had before. He didn't really like that but she was feeling much better so he didn't say anything to Ichigo. He waited for a private moment to ask Isshin about it.

"What happened to mama's power? She feels like you now." He said as Isshin was reading a book. Ichigo's father started and nearly dropped the book.

"Shiro-chan! I didn't know you were there." He said with a smile that seemed a little strained. Shiro tilted his head to one side skeptically. He knew Isshin should have sensed him easily. He hadn't been trying to hide. "Yes, I've helped your mama. She'll be fine now." He assured the little hollow but he was not content with an easy answer.

"What is spiritual wasting?" He asked and Isshin stared at him. "I'm good at hidin' an' listenin'. Papi said the way to learn is to listen." Shiro had taken that advice to heart. Isshin rubbed his face with one hand.

"You're a very clever boy, Shiro-chan." He said with a smile that was more genuine. "Do you want to sit beside me?" He asked and Shiro consented, joining him on the couch. He'd long ago perfected the art of sitting so his tail was off to the side and not too uncomfortable. "Spiritual wasting is what happens when a rip is torn in someone's aura and their spiritual pressure bleeds off, lowering them below normal human levels." He explained and Shiro didn't need to be told what had happened to Masaki.

"What ripped a hole in mama's aura?" He asked and Isshin shook his head.

"We don't know. Honestly, at first we wondered if it was you." He said and Shiro-chan appreciated the honesty if not the suspicion. "But there was no trace of hollow reiatsu at all, and hollows just can't do that. A hollow attack always leaves traces." Shiro nodded. He understood why… a feeding hollow just couldn't keep their reiatsu off the target, it was like leaving spit behind. No matter how well you tried to clean it there was always some there. "We finally gave up on that and just concentrated on fixing it. Masaki and I bound our souls together a long time ago, so I was able to lend her my powers. They're keeping us both stable, but at almost human levels."

"So you both lost your powers." Shiro summed up. "That's not so good. That hollow might come back for Ichi-chan." He was pretty sure that hollow would hold a grudge. Hollows in general were good at that.

"Yes. But he'll have you to protect him, Shiro-chan." Isshin said, putting an arm around his shoulders. That made Shiro-chan feel bad. He knew they'd said he was powerful when they examined him, but Shiro knew they were wrong.

"I… I can't really protect him." He admitted, dropping his head. His horns pointed at the ground, making him look dejected indeed. "My power is growing with his power… I know you said I'm strong, but I can't do anything. I can't use a cero, I can't roar right." Then he looked up, brightening a little. "I do have a poisonous bite! Just like my mama." He confided but then became sad again. "That's all I have though." His hands were clawed, but he was still only a child. Shiro had no illusions about his chances of actually defeating Grand Fisher.

"We'll just have to hope for the best." Isshin said calmly and Shiro saw he wasn't really surprised. Maybe they'd picked up more than he'd thought. "You can warn him when there are hollows, can't you Shiro-chan?" He asked and the little hollow brightened again.

"I can! I'm great at sensing things. I'm good at hiding too." He said happily. "Maybe I can teach Ichi-chan to hide." If Ichigo could learn to hide his reiatsu that would help keep him safe. And hollow cubs were always masters of hiding reiatsu. Small ones had no other defense. "I'll do that." He decided. It was something he could do to keep the family safe. "And maybe Karin too!" He couldn't teach Yuzu anything, since she couldn't see him properly. She had to take it on faith that he was there, although she could see some of the things he did, like the time he'd been playing with Ichigo's skateboard. He could still remember the wide eyed wonder on her face as the skateboard had moved around, completely on its own as far as she could tell.

"That's the spirit!" Isshin encouraged him and Shiro grinned behind his mask of bone. This would be fun!

So Shiro-chan went to work. Karin-chan was easy. She was still very young and impressionable and he showed her how to hide her reiatsu. Ichi-chan was much harder. It wasn't just that he was older, it was the fact that he had so much more to hide. Shiro had no idea how much it would increase as he turned from a pup into an adult, but he thought that Ichigo would be very strong someday. He was powerful enough right now to be an excellent hollow snack.

Grand Fisher didn't come back, though, and as time passed the family relaxed. Ichigo gradually learned to hide his reiatsu, although it worked much better from a distance. And Shiro learned a trick that made everyone happy indeed.

"Mama! Mama! Look!" Shiro-chan ran into the house with Ichi-chan hot on his heels. It had been a year since the incident with Grand Fisher and they'd both grown a bit. He danced around Masaki who stared at him with wide eyes. "Look at me!" He grinned up at her, feeling the pleasure of knowing she could really see his expression.

"Shiro-chan!" Masaki came out of her shock to give him a hug. "This is marvelous! How did you do it?" She asked, looking into the face of her second son. The bone was completely gone. The tail had vanished too, and what was left was a pure white version of her boy, with black and gold hollow eyes.

"I learned how to hide some of my power inside of Ichigo." He explained and Ichigo nodded. "It was Ichi-chan's idea." Ichigo had mentioned that even when he was hiding his power, it was all still there. That had made Shiro think about what might happen if he put a bit inside Ichigo instead. They'd both been shocked when all his bone had vanished.

"Not really. I just said something that made you think of it!" Ichigo said with a grin. "But I'll take the credit if you want to give it to me!" He added and Shiro stuck out his tongue at him. Then they both laughed. Masaki smiled at the happy sound, marveling at her twin boys.

"What's for supper mama?" Shiro asked eagerly but Masaki shook her head.

"You won't like it. We're having stir fry with bean curd." She told him and the little hollow made a face. He absolutely refused to touch soy and could recognize it immediately. The smell was completely off. The only exceptions were natto and soy sauce, which he didn't entirely despise. It was close though. Ichigo grinned and poked him in the side.

"You're so picky Shiro-chan!" He said cheerfully as Shiro growled. It would have been more intimidating if it hadn't broken into a squeak at the end. "I'll eat your share, how's that?" Although Masaki wouldn't be making a share for him. She knew Shiro-chan wouldn't eat bean curd.

"Go ahead. I'll play in your inner world while you eat." Shiro said almost graciously. He didn't mind spending some time in Ichigo's sideways world. It was always bright and sunny there and he could play on the skyscrapers. He vanished as Isshin came home with the twins. They'd been getting a dental checkup and everything was fine. Yuzu was traumatized and Karin was scowling, though. Shiro was glad he would never go through such a thing. Concentrating hard, he made a ball appear and kicked it onto a nearby skyscraper before running after it. He couldn't do a lot, but he was learning to manipulate Ichigo's inner world a little.

It helped to keep him occupied.

* * *

At Christmas, Shiro received a remarkable gift.

Christmas was not a national holiday in Japan, but it was often celebrated and the Kurosaki family followed that tradition. They were nominally Buddhist but Masaki's family had Christian roots, so it felt natural. They set up a small tree, complete with lights and decorations. Supper was roasted chicken stuffed with water chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and a sponge cake covered in cream and adorned with strawberries for dessert. Shiro-chan tucked into his slice as he watched the other children open their gifts.

Ichi-chan went first, grinning hugely as he pulled out a little hand held video game. Shiro smiled to himself. He'd quietly told Masaki and Isshin that Ichigo was pining over the newest version, and wanted one game in particular. Sure enough, the right game was there was well and Ichigo hugged his mother and father before trying out his prize. Yuzu got a 'Mother and Me' cooking set while Karin got a new baseball glove. She loved soccer but she liked baseball too.

Shiro was baffled at first as his gift was presented to him. It looked like a boy-sized doll?

"It's a gigai Shiro-chan." Masaki explained as Ichigo and the twins stared at the thing. It was featureless and more than a little creepy, really. Shiro examined it dubiously. "You should be able to use it, we had it made just for you. It will turn into a body matching yours and everyone will be able to see you. But it will hide your reiatsu so you won't have to worry about it." That was important. They didn't want any shinigami to pick up on Shiro-chan. There had already been a few close calls.

"But how do I – oh!" Shiro had touched the doll and it seemed to suck him in. He vanished and Ichigo and the girls exclaimed in surprise as the doll seemed to mold itself to him, taking his appearance. He blinked and flexed his fingers before stretching. "Feels… different." Honestly, it didn't feel that good. He felt oddly trapped and his powers felt muffled.

"Shiro-chan!" Yuzu hugged him and that made everything better. Shiro hugged her back, smiling at the pleasure on her face. "I can finally see you!"

"Yep, you can." He said fondly, gently ruffling her hair. "Hey, we should learn how to bake a fish together." Shiro said with a smile. He loved fish and Yuzu loved cooking, so that could be fun. Then Ichigo hugged him and Shiro laughed before returning the affection. It seemed this was his day for hugs!

His gigai got some immediate use as they all went to see the local light display. The trees were festooned with lights, although they weren't really meant for Christmas. This was for the New Year's celebration, which was far more important in Japan. Shiro marveled at them as he sipped a cup of hot cocoa. He'd seen them before, but only from within Ichigo's mind. This was the first time he'd really been able to come out and feel the snowflakes on his face. He also got to really see Ichigo. His brother was super cute in a little blue touque with his bright red hair sticking out. Shiro watched with a smile as he took a sip of his cocoa, wonder on his face as he looked at the lights. When they were both finished their drinks, he took Ichigo's hand. It felt so good, being close to his brother, and from the smile on Ichigo's face he felt so too.

They were walking back to the car when Shiro slowed, turning his head as a familiar scent impinged on his awareness. Shivering, he moved closer to Isshin. Their father might not have his powers anymore, but he still seemed like the strongest of the family.

"That hollow is around." He said quietly as Isshin looked down at him questioningly. His expression immediately went grim as Ichigo clutched at Masaki. They hurried back to the car and Shiro breathed a small sigh of relief as they pulled out of the parking lot. He wasn't even sure Grand Fisher had known they were there. In fact, he likely hadn't. There was a stream that went through the park and he would no doubt lure some unlucky person to their death. But Shiro couldn't bring himself to care much about that. Eating people was what hollows did, it was nature at work… although…

"That hollow is strange." He mused and Ichigo looked at him questioningly. "He's too powerful to be here. Why isn't he in my old home?" Shiro didn't know the name for it, but he knew that place was where powerful hollows belonged. Before his 'death' he'd been too powerful for the Living World, and that had been why he couldn't find any food. It was a pity he hadn't run into the nasty hollow then. He'd been much stronger than him and would have eaten him and gone right home. "Oh well." His question was unanswerable and the past was over and done with. Shiro didn't really regret being part of Ichigo and having this family. He missed his sire a bit, but the odds were that he was dead. If so, there really had been nothing to go back to except cold sands and danger.

He was better off in the Living World.

* * *

"Oi, Shiro? Can you take care of this for me?" Ichigo shoved himself away from his computer with a disgusted sigh.

"Oh sure." Shiro manifested and took a seat at the computer. Quickly glancing over the sheet beside it he got a feel for the assignment. "Write a critique of Atlas Shrugged? OK, I can do that. Boring as hell. Over!" He'd read the book because he knew this was coming, but he'd wished he hadn't. Ichigo had suffered through it manfully but writing the critique was just too much.

"Something that will get me an A? Please, Shiro-chan?" Ichigo asked plaintively and Shiro grinned before beginning to type. It would all be bullshit about the deep inner meanings and a whole lot about the sociological implications. But really, who gave a shit when you got on down to it?

He and Ichigo were sixteen now. Shiro's powers really hadn't improved much, since Ichigo's hadn't awakened, but he was still a much nastier proposition than he'd been at nine. Just like Ichigo could kick and fight hollows, Shiro's claws could do some damage. They'd managed to keep everyone safe so far.

Isshin's training had helped with that. Shiro thought about it as he typed. Their father had trained them with swords, but it was the lessons in hand to hand combat that had really come in handy. Not just against hollows, but against random thugs. It had started with Ichigo meeting Chad and kicking some serious ass and things had progressed from there. Most of the gangs were still interested in challenging them, but one particular group was simply terrified. Someone had drawn a knife and Shiro had manifested to keep his Ichi-chan safe. The police had labeled it a wild dog attack but the surviving gang members knew better. They would cross the street to avoid Ichigo.

For Shiro, things weren't bad although they could have been better. Chad was aware of his existence and Shiro could use his gigai freely with the big teen. The rest of his friends thought he was a cousin, which posed problems. The brighter ones had noticed he was around a lot and had questions he couldn't answer, like where he lived and what school he was going to. So far Shiro and Ichigo had managed to redirect things but it was difficult and he had to be careful not to come out too much.

One thing they had going for them was their combined skills. Ichigo loved to read but he wasn't very good at creative writing, and book reports drove him bananas. Especially with his current teacher, who loved stuff about inner meanings. Shiro and Ichigo both believed that a cigar was just a cigar, but Shiro was good at pulling out the bullshit. Their teacher seemed to love it and Ichigo's grades were up. The other area Shiro was really helpful was English. He had a knack for languages and while Ichigo was passable, he was excellent.

Shiro loathed math, though, and refused to even be present during that class. Which didn't matter much, because Ichigo was great at it. They complimented each other and managed to cover each other's weaknesses quite handily, which had resulted in some amazing grades. Right now Ichigo was running straight A's and looked destined to make the list of honor at the end of the year. Shiro didn't much care about that but he was willing to help anyway he could.

"…" Shiro looked up with a frown as he scented a hollow. They were all over the damned place. He hadn't noticed as much when they were younger and mostly went around with their parents, but it was getting awfully obvious now. It didn't feel like a strong one, though, and Shiro hesitated. "Ichigo? There's a hollow out there. Should I go eat it maybe?" He had to be very cautious about eating other hollows. The main problem was his own strength or lack thereof. But the secondary problem was shinigami. He couldn't let them see him.

"How close is it to the house?" Ichigo asked, looking up from his math homework. Shiro's eyes narrowed as he sharpened his senses.

"…Close." He muttered before shoving himself away from the desk. "Be right back." Ichigo frowned and followed. Shiro wanted to tell him to stay put, but he wasn't going to insult his other half that way. He couldn't kill the hollows, true, but Ichigo could definitely distract them for him.

They were both pissed when they realized the hollow was stalking Karin and Yuzu on their way home from school. After a quick check for any shinigami, Shiro assumed his full hollow form and attacked. The fight got a bit nasty but Ichigo quickly proved his worth, kicking the thing in the back of the head and stunning it long enough for Shiro to get a fatal blow in.

Then he ate the hollow as Ichigo stood watch. His best friend and brother had been horrified the first time he'd seen that. They'd only been twelve at the time. But Shiro had explained to him, quite firmly, that rejecting a kill was a gesture of absolute contempt. It meant that you didn't want to take the souls inside yourself, that the one you had killed was unworthy even of that. It was not the sort of thing a hollow did frivolously.

The funny thing about it was that Karin and Yuzu completely missed the excitement. Shiro finished his meal and shed his bone covering before walking with Ichigo back home. He was outside his gigai, but there were no soul reapers here.

"Karin and Yuzu are both attracting them." Ichigo muttered, concerned and Shiro nodded. Karin's spiritual pressure was starting to come in and Yuzu's was going up a bit too. Her power felt a bit like Masaki's old power, before she'd lost it. Karin felt more like Ichigo but without the darker power that was Shiro-chan. "What should we do?" He asked and Shiro shrugged.

"What can we do?" He countered and Ichigo bit his lip. "I've taught them both to hide their reiatsu, but…" He shrugged again. They both had to concentrate on hiding and they couldn't do it all the time. Ichigo was the same, only worse. "Besides, you're attracting more than they are." He added and Ichigo scowled before poking him in the side.

"Well, you attract flies, Mr. We Can Play Squirtguns with Rootbeer." He said and Shiro grinned widely at the reminder. That had happened years ago, when the water was out for some reason. There had been no real danger – the tank had plenty – but it had been reserved for drinking. So the two boys had improvised when it came to having fun. Shiro had been in his gigai and for some reason he'd decided he was NOT going to have a bath when the water came back on. He'd summoned his bone around his gigai… a rather shocking feat that he'd never managed again… and attracted fruit flies until Masaki had finally threatened to lock him out of the house. Then he'd finally gotten his bath. No one was ever going to let him forget but Shiro didn't mind. Those had been good times, when they were both young and carefree.

"Shinigami incoming!" Shiro suddenly said and vanished to Ichigo's inner world. He was unhappy to see that it was cloudy and threatening rain. The inner world reflected Ichigo's moods and as they'd grown older, those moods had darkened. So instead of just staying inside he took a peek through Ichigo's eyes. The soul reaper looked like a young girl with black hair and she was gazing around with a puzzled air. Ichigo studiously ignored her as he walked back home.

"Ichigo!" Masaki greeted him with a smile and Shiro smiled to himself as Ichigo's inner world immediately brightened. The sun chased away the clouds and he basked under the brilliant skies. "You went for a walk?"

"There was a hollow pretty close, Shiro went and caught it." Ichigo answered honestly. They'd decided a while ago not to keep things from their parents. Masaki frowned a little in worry but nodded. Isshin wasn't keen on Shiro eating other hollows but it was the only way the family had to get rid of them, these days. Isshin couldn't even leave his gigai anymore.

"Om nom nom… but I still have room for ice cream!" Shiro said as he materialized, grinning. That cheered their mother up and she smiled at them both.

"Yuzu made some brownies, but you can have ice cream." Shiro's prejudices about baked goods were still firmly in place. That made Yuzu a bit unhappy but she'd gotten an ice cream maker for Christmas and was starting to make him homemade flavors. His favorite so far was her pumpkin ice cream.

"Thanks mom. C'mon Shiro, you need to finish my homework." Ichigo said with a grin and Shiro groaned. He'd almost forgotten about the book report in the excitement. "Suck it up, or you can do the math instead."

"Yeah? You wanna get an F now?" Shiro bantered back as they went up the stairs. "I can just see Kino-sama now! 'Ichigo, whatever happened? Are you alright? Any family problem…'" His voice faded away as the two boys disappeared up the stairs. Masaki smiled again as she started putting together dinner.

With so many healthy appetites there was always plenty of cooking to do.


	3. Shinigami

Author's Note: I watched the first episode of Bleach to figure out how to rewrite it. ^_^ Here goes nothing!

_Not that I object to kicking some ass, that was a lot of fun._ Shiro commented as Ichigo gently replaced the flowers the skateboarders had knocked from the young girl's grave. _But why do ghosts want flowers?_

"It's a gesture of respect, Shiro-chan." Ichigo said tolerantly. His other half didn't understand a lot of things that normal people got immediately.

_Yeah, I get that, I see why you would leave flowers. But why does the ghost care? _Shiro asked and Ichigo sighed. _She could get lots of flowers at the park. Big beds of 'em, they're everywhere._

"It's nice to feel that someone cares that you died, Shiro." He said softly and his brother mulled over it for a moment.

_I guess. I wish we could send her on, though._ He said and Ichigo nodded. They knew about Soul Society from Shiro's eavesdropping, mostly. But not just that. Knowing that his son had a hollow and potentially vast spiritual pressure, Isshin had sat him down and given him a primer on spiritual life. Ichigo suspected Masaki had pushed him to do it, as well. His mother didn't believe in keeping her children ignorant. So they knew the ghost should be going on, but neither of them could give her konso. And his father couldn't either, anymore. Isshin couldn't even see the ghosts of Karakura town. _Too many hollows around this place._ Shiro muttered and Ichigo nodded again.

"Nothing we can do about it." They just had to go on with their lives and hope for the best. Speaking of which…

"ICHIGO! You are late!" Ichigo grinned at that bellow. For a while, Isshin had tried ambushing him but Masaki had put her foot down after they'd broken a coffee table. Now he just got yelled at. Yuzu, Karin and Masaki were all at the kitchen table eating supper. "Supper is at seven o'clock sharp!"

"I was just helping a ghost, dad." He said tolerantly as he hung up his schoolbag. "Ask Shiro if you don't believe me." He'd learned the hard way that Shiro would rat him out for ice cream. His brother appeared in a small swirl of black dust.

"Yeah, it was just these guys who knocked over her memorial flowers. Hey, what's that?" Shiro's nose twitched at the scent. "Is that miso soup with whitefish? Awesome!" He said approvingly and Masaki laughed before pouring him a cup of broth.

"Come to dinner boys." She invited them and they both joined the family at the dinner table. It was very big, to accommodate such a large family. Isshin let his timing go, probably because Masaki didn't mind. Ichigo thought it was silly anyway, expecting a teenager to get home at seven every day. Why couldn't he get into a bit of trouble like a regular teen? Although with Shiro along, it might be a lot of trouble.

"Hey Ichi-nii, speaking of ghosts, you've got another." Karin said and Ichigo groaned as he looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the ghost of a middle-aged man in glasses was floating behind him.

"Look, there's nothing I can do for you. Shoo!" He scolded it but it kept trying to get closer, looking at him beseechingly. "Shiro, can you get rid of this thing?"

"Oh sure." Shiro briefly assumed his full form, flaring his hollow power slightly before raising his clawed hands and hissing. The plus soul took one look before vanishing with a small scream. "Silly buggers." He said as the bone flaked away. Then he got into his gigai. Yuzu could see him a bit, but it was a struggle for her. It was much easier for him to just use the false body at supper.

After supper they went to their room and began doing their homework. Shiro was working on an art project while Ichigo worked on chemistry. Not because Ichigo was bad at art, but because Shiro was spectacularly bad at chemistry.

"Shit!" Shiro's curse caught Ichigo's attention, and he blinked as his friend abruptly vanished, his pencil rolling across the floor. Ichigo frowned but then his eyes went wide as a girl delicately stepped onto his desk.

"Who the hell are you?!" He demanded, backing up on the bed. He could hear Shiro hissing in the back of his mind and didn't have to be told that this was a shinigami. She had a hand on the hilt of her sword and was looking around. "Get out of my room!"

"It's close." Was all the girl said and Ichigo's eyes narrowed as his anger ignited. Was she talking about Shiro? She might very well be.

"HEY!" He kicked her in the backside, knocking her onto the floor. The soul reaper looked over her shoulder with a shocked expression. "You intrude in my room then ignore me?! What the fuck is wrong with you?" He demanded and her expression went from shocked to non-plussed.

"You… can see me? And you _kicked_ me." She muttered as she pulled herself up.

"Yeah, of course I can see you." Ichigo scoffed, although he knew most people couldn't. "Now who the hell are you?" He demanded and she responded by reaching up and gripping his chin.

"Strange. You shouldn't be able to see me." She murmured and Ichigo scowled. He was getting very tired of this routine. He tried to kick her again and ended up flat on his face. Shiro's snickering in the back of his head wasn't very nice. "Then let me tell you… I am a Soul Reaper."

"I know that!" Ichigo snarled as he sat up and she looked very surprised. "I was asking who you are, not what you are." She stared at him, taken aback.

"You know about shinigami?" She asked and he nodded with a scowl. His father had been quite concerned about Shiro and what might happen, so he knew everything there was to know about soul reapers. Including their possible reactions to a human boy with a hollow living inside him. They might simply kill him out of hand. "I am Kuchiki Rukia. How do you know about us?" Ichigo hesitated but Shiro hissed a quick idea at him. Shiro always had good ideas when it came to obfuscating the truth.

"Do you know Urahara's candy shop?" He asked at the shinigami nodded. "I have very high spiritual pressure for a human. My parents are spiritually aware, and they took me to him when I started seeing ghosts." He said easily. It wasn't even entirely a lie. Isshin had taken him to Urahara many times, mostly to examine Shiro-chan. "He explained everything."

"Ugh, that meddling idiot! That explains a lot." Rukia muttered and Ichigo frowned, glancing away. Had he heard something? "What is it?"

"I thought I heard something." Ichigo said, distracted.

_I think it was a hollow. But I can't make sure with that stupid shinigami in the room. She'd sense me in a heartbeat._ Shiro sounded irritated and Ichigo rubbed his head, closing his eyes for a moment. How was he supposed to get rid of her? But even if he did, she would still be too close for Shiro to eat a hollow. No, that wouldn't do… but…

"Did you hear that?" He asked even though there was no sound. The shinigami looked at him in puzzlement.

"No. What are you talking about?" She asked and Ichigo pointed to the door. Fortunately, there was another howl at just that moment.

"That!" He said and her eyes went wide before she rushed out. He followed close behind. He and Shiro might not be able to kill hollows, but they could always distract them while she took care of things.

That idea went completely out the window when they got outside and saw that the hollow was holding Karin and Yuzu. Ichigo roared, a rather good imitation of Shiro's hollow roar. It immediately caught the hollow's attention and it dropped the two girls, reaching for him. Ichigo dodged the hand and the shinigami sliced it off. The hollow hooted in pain before suddenly vanishing.

_Hate it when they do that._ Shiro muttered and Ichigo ignored him, running to Karin's side. She and Yuzu were both unconscious. _They're fine, just bruised. Get 'em inside. _He ordered and Ichigo nodded, grateful to his other half. He couldn't tell if their souls were intact or not but Shiro-chan could. _Then we'll have to wait for that bugger to show up again._ Shiro sounded glum and Ichigo knew why. The place between worlds where hollows hid was completely closed to his other half. He was chained to Ichigo, and even if he wasn't he was simply too strong. If he tried to go to the in-between, he would end up in Hueco Mundo instead, his vast potential power overwhelming that state between realms.

"That hollow was not after the girls. He was after you." Rukia stated and Ichigo scowled at her. Telling him that was fairly pointless.

"I know that! What do you suggest I do about it?" He snapped, although he knew she wasn't entirely correct. Karin and Yuzu were tasty in and of themselves, but the hollow would definitely have moved on to him as soon as it was done with them. Shiro had said that from a hollow perspective the girls were like cupcakes while he was a four course meal with wine pairings included. Rukia looked startled by his sharp tone then frowned, faced with the fact that a spiritually aware human was just a hollow magnet. Ignoring her, he took Karin inside and quickly followed with Yuzu. His parents had slept through the ruckus and he quickly woke them up with a quick explanation. Rukia watched wide eyed as he told them the truth, just leaving out the part about a shinigami being present.

"You told your parents everything! Are you crazy?" She asked him and he gave her an irritated glance. "They're normal humans. They can't even see spirits!"

"Oi. They could at one time, obviously." He muttered to her as Isshin and Masaki looked after the girls. "Mom? Dad? We're going to go try to find that hollow."

"Good luck boys." Masaki stopped what she was doing to hug him then gently ruffle his hair. "Be careful." She didn't ask him not to go, though. They both knew that was pointless. Ichi-chan and Shiro-chan were the protectors of the family. He headed out the door as the soul reaper trailed behind him, disbelieving.

"What do you think you're going to do? You can't kill a hollow!" She said and Ichigo grimaced. No, he certainly couldn't with her along. However…

"I'm bait. You'll kill it when it shows up." He said shortly and Rukia frowned. "It will work if I toss my reiatsu around." He could do that, if he concentrated hard. Shiro had taught him the trick a long time ago. Hollow cubs didn't do it because they were too weak, but his sire had taught him for when he became an adult. For an adult hollow, flaring their reiatsu could have many applications. And it was just the opposite of hiding his reiatsu, so it came easily to Ichigo.

He led her away from the house, to a local park. It would definitely do for the confrontation. Then he flared his reiatsu, hoping it would only draw in the hollow they wanted. That was the danger with this. He was advertising himself as good eats and plenty of hollows might try to take a bite, although the smarter ones would be wary. The hollow that had almost killed him and his mother had never taken this bait.

"There!" Ichigo pointed as the hollow reappeared in a swirl of black mist. It went right for him again and he sprang away at the same moment the soul reaper did. A huge hand raised dust as it hit the ground, ruining the spongy grass and uprooting several trees. "Bastard!" Ichigo spat as he tried to follow old patterns. Playing distraction for the shinigami wasn't much different from what he usually did, after all. But then his eyes went wide as the hollow managed to slap her, knocking her into a tree.

_Opportunity!_ _Ichi, work with me!_ Shiro sounded almost gleeful and Ichigo took a deep breath, sensing what his other half wanted to do. They'd tried it before with limited success. Could they do it now? But they had to. With the hollow right there the soul reaper probably wouldn't realize what had happened.

A cero built in his palm, red and pulsing with energy. The hollow was about to pound a fist into the downed shinigami when he released it. The cero wasn't very large – they hadn't had enough time to charge it – but it caused the hollow to howl in pain and notice them again.

_ICHI!_ Shiro screamed as the hollow went directly for him. But it was just too fast. He felt frozen as the mouth descended on him –

_**Crunch.**_ Ichigo's eyes went wide and he could feel Shiro's astonishment as they saw the shinigami in front of them. She'd taken the blow meant for them, those great, blocky teeth shredding her body.

"You… fool! You cannot… fight hollows…" She wheezed and Ichigo caught her as the hollow released her, whining about a broken tooth. Ichigo could feel Shiro's contempt for the thing. "At this rate we will both become food for it." She gasped out and Ichigo bit his lip. She was right. Even with Shiro manifested he wasn't sure they could defeat this hollow. It was easily one of the most powerful they had faced. "Do you want to save your family?" She asked, pulling herself into a sitting position and lifting her sword.

"Of course I do!" That was just a stupid question. "But how?" He asked, glancing back towards the hollow. It was recovering from its small trauma and licking its lips, cleaning away the shinigami blood.

"You must become a soul reaper." She said and Ichigo's eyes went wide. Become a soul reaper? Did she mean to awaken his power somehow? "Place the point of this zanpakuto, soul breaker, over your heart." Ichigo knelt in front of her, obeying without question. They didn't have much time. "And I will transfer my powers to you."

_Um…_ Shiro mumbled something in the back of his mind but Ichigo ignored him, concentrating on Rukia. The hollow howled, annoyed at being ignored.

"I don't know if it will work," The soul reaper said just as the hollow began his charge. "but there is no other way."

"Then do it! We have no time." Brown eyes met violet and Ichigo heard Shiro protest just before the blade slid home in his body. It was such a strange sensation, and for a brief moment he thought he was going to die.

But then blue light flared and he felt something hit him, burning inside him and flaring as it hit the dark power he recognized as Shiro. There was a very loud yelp from his other half, but it was more of triumph than pain. And then they were out the other side and Ichigo acted in a moment of frozen time.

The hollow's arm flew away, neatly removed by the strike of his zanpakuto. The leg followed and he danced back as the creature began to fall forward. His next strike hit it neatly in the face and Ichigo felt a deep satisfaction at what he'd just done. He'd finally released a hollow the way he was supposed to, the way a shinigami would. The souls inside would go on to whatever end they deserved.

"Soul reaper! Are you okay?" Ichigo turned to her, seeing her watching him. Her clothing had turned white and she was watching him wide eyed.

_Hey! Worried about her and not about me?_ Shiro complained and Ichigo blinked. His brother sounded… off. Uncomfortable? Something along those lines.

"Are you okay?" He asked again as he knelt beside Rukia, but this time he was really speaking to Shiro. The hollow muttered for a moment before responding.

_Not sure. I feel really weird, different. I think I ate something I shouldn't have._ Ichigo couldn't help but grin at that. Shiro did sound nauseated, now that he thought of it. Rukia smiled back at him, unaware of his thoughts.

"I'm fine." She said, painfully pulling herself to her feet. Ichigo helped her, a hand on her elbow. "Could you help me to Urahara's shop?" She asked and he nodded.

"Of course." He wondered what she wanted there, but it really wasn't his business. And from the feelings he was getting from Shiro, the hollow desperately wanted to sleep and digest. Ichigo could guess why. He'd been force fed shinigami power and was finding it an uncomfortable experience.

Hopefully, his other half would be better in the morning.

* * *

The next day, everything seemed to be fine.

"Ichi-nii, wake up! Breakfast is egg toast!" Yuzu's voice was muffled behind his door and Ichigo stirred with a yawn, glancing at his alarm clock. It was flashing the number twelve. "There was a power outage last night, everyone's late!"

"Ah, right." That would have been due to the power lines the hollow had knocked down. Quickly jumping into the shower, he took care of the morning routine as quickly as possible. Even so, he didn't have much time to catch the bus and just grabbed a piece of egg toast to go. His mother had his lunch packed, so that just went straight into his backpack. "Thanks mom." He said with a smile, giving her a quick hug. Ichigo honestly had no idea what they would do without Masaki. She was the centre of the family, they all revolved around her.

"It's nothing. Now hurry, you might miss the bus!" She pushed him out the door with a wave and Ichigo laughed before taking off running. He enjoyed a good brisk run in the morning, enjoyed stretching his legs. "Hey Shiro, you feeling okay?" He mumbled around his egg toast as he reached the bus stop, tearing off a bit of the eggy bread concoction. He was answered by a faint snore. "…Heh." Apparently his other half was sleeping in today. That was pretty normal, the bus ride wasn't exactly the high point of the day.

Shiro stirred himself for their first class, though, which was literature. Ichigo let his mind go wandering. He was just about ready to leave the class when the newest student arrived.

"And this is our new transfer student, Kuchiki Rukia." Ichigo's eyes went wide as she waved to the class. Rukia looked completely natural in her student uniform, but that was no surprise. She did look like a schoolgirl, and she'd probably done something similar in Soul Society at one time.

_What the hell is she doing here?_ Shiro sounded appalled and Ichigo bit his lip. _Is she following us? Does she know about me?_ Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he gave the 'transfer student' a glare as she settled in beside him. Was that it? Was she after Shiro?

There was no way to question her right now and he had to stew for the next several periods. He finally managed to corner her at lunch, although only after he shook off Tatsuki, Sado and the rest of his friends. They wanted to talk about the mini-hurricane that had devastated the park near his home, and the downed power lines. Ichigo knew all about that but he didn't want to sound completely insane, so explaining it was out of the question. Instead he got free and hunted down the Kuchiki girl.

"You! What the hell are you doing here?!" He demanded, pointing at her. She gave him a wide eyed, limpid look.

"Oh my, how scary! Is something going to happen to me?" She almost simpered it and Ichigo gritted his teeth.

"Stop talking in that disgusting way! You sound like those girls on that horrible Valley Chicks sitcom my sister watches." He said and heard Shiro giggle in the back of his mind. Rukia smiled.

"That's where I learned it… you are very perceptive!" She congratulated him, still in that horrible tone of voice. Ichigo winced, putting a hand on his head to alleviate the mental pain.

"Nevermind… what are you doing here? Why haven't you gone back to Soul Society?" He asked. That was what shinigami did, normally. Her expression went blank for a moment as she looked away.

"I can't." She said, her tone low and Ichigo frowned. "Soul Society is for death gods, and I no longer have that ability." She said more strongly, glancing over at him. "You devoured almost all of my power." Ichigo's eyes widened at that and he shot an accusing feeling at Shiro.

_Yes, it was probably my fault. She fed her power into a hollow, what else would happen?_ Shiro asked and Ichigo grimaced. No wonder the other half of his soul had gone into a food coma. But Rukia was still talking.

"This is a false body, a –" She began and he cut her off.

"A gigai, I know. Soul reapers use them when they want to interact with the real world." He said and she stopped, her eyes wide.

"How do you know all this?! Where would you have learned about gigai?" She demanded and Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, glancing away.

"Oh, I, um, know someone who uses one… nevermind that. What are you going to do now?" He asked and she scowled at him for a moment.

"You are going to take over my duties as a death god." She said and Ichigo blinked.

"How do you expect me to do that?!" He demanded. He didn't object to it in general. He'd seen the damage hollows could cause, he'd very nearly lost his own life to one or perhaps his mother. But… "I'm a high school student. I can't just go wandering around looking for hollows!" He'd accounted for plenty of them over the years, or rather Shiro had, but that was because hollows sought them out. "I have classes, I have schoolwork – "

"Enough!" She almost shouted at him and he lurched back, surprised. "You've taken my powers. If you don't, who will?" She asked and he scowled at her. Then she pulled on a glove with a strange design on the top. "Let us begin."

"What do you –AUGH!" Ichigo was not expecting her to grab his neck and someone go _through_ him. It was the strangest sensation in the world and he yelped as he was torn out of his body. "HEY! What the hell?! Th-that's me!" He pointed to the motionless body and began freaking out. "I'm not breathing! What the hell?!"

"I see you don't know everything about being a shinigami." Rukia said with some satisfaction as Ichigo tried to revive himself. "When you exit your body, it appears to be dead but it is only empty. It will wait for you to return." She told him and Ichigo looked at her dubiously. "…As long as you don't take too long." She amended. "But it would take weeks for your chain of fate to decay completely."

"Oh. Um… good." He said but then frowned. "Wait, this still isn't going to work. I can't just leave my body here, it's going to end up in the morgue!" Glancing around, he tried to spot some place to put it but came up empty.

_You could put me into it._ Shiro sounded reluctant, though, and Ichigo cocked a mental eyebrow at him. _If you do that, you'll cut your power in half. We're only whole when we're together. And your body isn't meant to hide my reiatsu, either… she might sense what I am._

"But she's lost all her powers. Let's try this." He decided as he set his hands on his bodies' chest. He did not want to miss all his classes and Shiro might be useless at math, but he could take notes and get the homework assignments. White light built in his hands and surrounded his body.

"Ichigo? What are you doing? Ichigo!" He ignored Rukia's strident tone as he helped Shiro manifest in a new way. His body twitched, then finally took a breath, brown eyes opening. But as he watched, the brown lightened to a honey yellow. Fortunately the sclera remained white.

"Okay, I got this. Hi there, nice legs." Shiro leered at the shinigami then winced as Ichigo slapped him in the shoulder. "You're just abusing yourself you know." He said as he pulled himself to his feet, cracking his back. Ichigo sighed.

"Try not to completely ruin my reputation, alright?" He said and Shiro grinned. "And make sure you eat lunch. I know you don't like peanut butter and jam sandwiches, but eating is better than not eating." That made his other half scowl. He was about to retort when Rukia spoke.

"What… did you just do…?" She was staring at them both, and the twins traded a glance before looking at her. "That isn't a gikon. What is it?"

"Gikon?" Apparently there really were a few things he still didn't know. Ichigo shrugged it off and addressed her question. "This is my twin brother." He said, not lying but leaving out a lot. If she hadn't picked up the hollow reiatsu he wasn't bringing it up. "We're two souls in a single body. He can look after mine, but it cuts my power in half. Will that be okay?" He asked and she just stared at them for a moment before stamping her foot with a look of utter frustration.

"You are so weird! I can't believe that any human is so weird! How did I find the strangest human on the planet to give my powers to?" She demanded and Shiro snickered. "And you! Stop laughing! What's your name?" She demanded, pointing at the physical Ichigo. He lifted his eyebrows then grinned.

"I'm Shiro-chan." He said mockingly and Ichigo smiled as an arm went around his shoulders. "And this is Ichi-chan. Like he said, we're twins. Ya wanted to know how a human could be so strong? Here's the reason." Which was also the truth, not just the whole truth. "So is half power good enough or do we need to stash a body somewhere? I know this lake…"

"No, it should be fine." She said hastily as Ichigo punched Shiro in the side. "Your power is massive even now. Come, we don't have much time!" And the two of them ran off, leaving Shiro to watch with his hands on his hips.

"I liked it better when I was eating hollows." He said to the empty air. He was going to miss that. "Oh well. Math class, here I come! …Maybe I can spend it looking at Ori's boobs…" He muttered to himself as he left, completely unaware of someone watching.

Although it wouldn't have made any difference, so it was probably just as well.


	4. Space Aliens Raiding the Nest

Shiro rested his chin in his hand as he tried to pay attention to the lecture.

It was hard though. This was physics class and he didn't have the slightest clue what the teacher was going on about. He was doing his part for Ichigo by simply copying every note the man made into his notebook. That part was easy, he was a fast writer. So the rest of the time he spent surreptitiously examining the girls in the class.

Tatsuki he dismissed instantly. He honestly didn't like her much. It was an old, old grudge, dating back to the first time she'd made his Ichi-chan cry. He might have been able to forgive that but her attitude rubbed him the wrong way in general. She was a good friend to Ichigo, though, so he was careful not to let his dislike show. It probably wasn't her fault anyway. Sometimes people just didn't click, it was the way things were.

Orihime, on the other hand, amused the hell out of him. She puzzled Ichigo all the time with her weird attitude, but Shiro had her figured out. She liked Ichigo but when she thought about it she embarrassed herself, and she did something peculiar to distract herself from the intense embarrassment. Shiro understood because he tended to do the same thing. When something raised very intense, unpleasant feelings Shiro would talk to himself until it went away. It looked peculiar as hell to outsiders but it was just a coping technique.

"I like her." Shiro mumbled to himself. He really did like Orihime. She was sweet, kind and would be a great homemaker. That was the kind of thing he wanted in a mate. Women going out and getting jobs was fine, but he firmly believed that little ones needed their mama. Both of his mothers, hollow and human, had reinforced that opinion. Glancing at the board he began noting down the new set of designs and symbols. Hopefully Ichigo would understand all this.

He was a bit surprised when Ichigo didn't come back for the rest of the day. Fortunately, pretending to be his twin wasn't really hard. He knew Ichigo inside out, backwards and forwards. The only problem was remembering not to grin too much. His grin was vastly different from Ichigo's smile and someone was likely to notice.

Waiting for the bus was boring though. And he was all alone for some reason. Usually Chad and some of the other kids were there. Shiro tried to think if he'd forgotten something. A game maybe? But he drew a blank and shrugged to himself. Aside from his lessons at the dojo Ichigo wasn't into sports. He wouldn't care if they were missing a game.

As he waited, Shiro hummed to himself. The humming moved naturally on to singing. And the singing moved naturally on to dancing in place. And dancing in place moved on to real dancing. Ichigo never danced, but Shiro was not Ichigo and he absolutely loved to dance. He stopped when he spotted the bus and blinked when he heard a bunch of feminine giggles. Glancing away he saw a bunch of tweens staring at him and laughing. Shrugging to himself he grinned and waved before getting on the bus.

He had no idea if they were making fun of him or thought he was hot, and he didn't care.

* * *

"Mrph." Shiro closed his eyes in bliss as he slowly chewed on a nut bar. "Love these things." Larabars were his second favourite sweet. The combination of sweet honey and salty nuts just made his day. Ice cream was even better, with its beautiful, creamy texture, but that was the only thing that could compare.

"Thanks for taking those notes for me." Ichigo said from his spot at the computer and Shiro lifted his head. He was on the bed, just spread out and chilling. "Rukia said that since you were taking my place we could make it a longer training. She took me to Urahara's and drilled me on sword work for a while."

"Oh yeah!" That made Shiro sit up. He'd been thinking of something related. "That reminds me. I made an appointment for us both at the dojo on Saturday. We need t' get our butts in gear." Ichigo looked over, surprised, and Shiro grinned. "Dad's coming too. We need to get our sword work in order and he's the guy to do it." Right now their abilities with the sword were definitely a weak point. They hadn't taken those lessons seriously, and for good reason. Shiro didn't have a sword and why would Ichigo be using one in a real fight? Fists were far more likely.

"Wait, dad?" Ichigo frowned, turning away from his computer. "Have you told him what's going on?" He asked and Shiro hesitated.

"No, not yet. I thought we should do that together and maybe bring the midget." Shiro scratched his head, looking up at the ceiling. "We really should tell him soon though. He can probably teach us a lot, even if he can't leave his gigai anymore."

"What?!" Shiro bolted upright and Ichigo stared as the door to the closet suddenly opened. Rukia jumped out wearing… was that Yuzu's pajamas? "Your father wears a gigai? Who is he really?!"

"The hell?" Ichigo said as Shiro looked at what had once been his nest. She'd cleaned it up! "What are you doing in my closet?!" He sounded incensed but Shiro was rapidly passing him.

"My nest! That was my nest! What've you done to my nest?!" He nearly howled and Ichigo winced as Rukia stared, taking in his appearance. "You can't have the closet, that's mine ya bitch!"

"You're a hollow!" She pointed at him and Shiro snarled, summoning in his bone armor. He started forward but Ichigo caught him from behind, looping his arms under Shiro's in one smooth move.

"Shiro, no!" He said sharply as his brother wiggled, trying to get away. The bone covered tail lashed his legs and Ichigo winced at the force behind it. His brother was really pissed.

"Let me go Ichi, I'm gonna kill her! She ruined my nest!" Ichigo glanced at the closet and saw what Shiro meant. The messy pile of blankets on the bottom was gone, replaced with neatly arrayed shoes. He'd always kept the shoes in there but they been sort of jumbled together on one side, with Shiro's nest on the other. Shiro's nest had included a few pillows, too, and those were missing entirely. Then they all froze as the door opened.

"Ichi, Shiro, what the hell! Some of us are trying to… sleep…?" Karin stopped as she saw Rukia, caught in the act of trying to jump back in the closet. "Um…" She glanced over Shiro and Ichigo. The scene was peculiar, to say the least. "Okay. Are you guys going to explain this?" She asked and Shiro's bone armor flaked away. Ichigo let him go, running a hand through his hair and trying to think of something believable. "And no bullshit please." Karin said firmly and he winced, glancing at Shiro.

"She's a space alien and she came to raid my nest – OW!" Shiro winced as Karin punched him firmly in the chest. "That wasn't bullshit, it was a complete fantasy, there's a difference!" He complained and Ichigo sighed.

"It's complicated… I think we should explain to everyone at once." They were all getting ready for bed but still awake. Now might be a good time. Rukia shook her head vigorously and Ichigo scowled at her. "You can't live in my closet, it belongs to Shiro." He wasn't going to evict his hollow from his nest, and he doubted very much the shinigami would want to share the closet with him. "You'll have to take the guest room. Or do you really want to sleep with Shiro?" He glanced at his brother who easily took the cue and leered at the little shinigami. She took a fighting stance and narrowed her eyes.

"How dare you insinuate such a thing." She said a low, angry tone and Shiro's leer turned into a more natural grin.

"Aw, we don't mean it. I'm still an innocent virgin!" He said lightly and Ichigo choked before slapping him on the shoulder. It was true though. Despite his eyeing up the girls and his excellent porn film leer, Shiro was a stranger to actual sex. He didn't even have much in the way of desire, yet, although that would eventually change. "But d'you want to share the closet with me when I rub one out?" That wasn't a frequent event either but it did occasionally happen. Rukia and Karin both looked revolted.

"I'm getting mom and dad, go down to the kitchen and we can have this out. And don't ever mention that to me again you disgusting freak!" Karin threatened Shiro who looked hurt, before glancing at Ichigo. Ichigo looked at him with a steely glint in his eyes and seeing he was getting no support, Shiro sighed and grabbed his gigai. It was tucked up beside the dresser and Rukia watched, wide eyed, as he got into it.

"A hollow using a gigai? I didn't think that was even possible." She murmured before following them downstairs. Shiro flicked a glance back at her.

"I ain't a normal hollow." He said briefly before the rest of the family came down the stairs. Of course, that got interesting very fast.

"Ichigo! You are sneaking girls into your room?! My son is growing up!" His father looked ready to hug him, to Ichigo's alarm and Shiro's amusement, before Masaki held him back with a hand on his shoulder. "Will we be having grandbabies soon?!"

"Oh dear I hope not." Masaki murmured before giving her two boys a stern look. Ichigo went red, then pale and Shiro just shrugged and nudged his foot into the carpet the way he did when he was guilty but not about to admit it.

"It's nothing like that! This is Kuchiki Rukia. She's a shinigami." Ichigo said hastily and that wiped any amusement out of the room. Yuzu and Karin edged away, looking at her warily as Isshin and Masaki froze for a moment. "It's a long story…" As everyone gingerly took a seat, Ichigo launched into his rendition of events. Rukia corrected him on a few minor things until they reached the part about her giving her powers to Ichigo.

"You gave your power to a human boy? Kuchiki, that is a very grave offense!" Isshin said as he stared at the shinigami. She stared right back as Ichigo and Shiro exchanged a glance. An offense?

"Who are you, to know about the laws of Soul Society?" She demanded and Isshin hesitated before standing up and pacing. Masaki just sipped her tea, unperturbed by the tension in the air.

"Will you swear, on the honor of the Kuchiki clan, to never reveal this?" Isshin demanded and Rukia hesitated.

"I will swear only as long as you are no threat to Soul Society as a whole." She said, lifting her chin. Isshin laughed.

"Oh, I am not that! Very well. When I lived in Soul Society my name was Shiba Isshin, former taichou and clanhead of the Shiba clan." He gave her a full, formal bow and Rukia stared, shocked. Masaki lifted her hand with a smile.

"I am Kurosaki Masaki, and I used to be a Quincy." She said cheerfully and Rukia's gaze snapped to her. Then she looked over at Karin and Yuzu.

"Um? Oh, we're normal!" Yuzu said with a smile and a small wave as Karin crossed her arms.

"For now anyway. Dad and his friends say I'm going to be more like him and Yuzu is more like mom. But neither of us are powerhouses like Ichigo. He's the lucky one who got Shiro-chan." Karin sounded grumpy and Shiro grinned.

"That's probably just as well. I wonder how his power would have reacted to twins? And he was a boy, I think, when he was alive." Masaki mused and Shiro nodded. It was true, he'd been a little boy when he'd attacked Masaki and Isshin. Ichigo had resonated with him in many ways. Rukia drew a deep breath.

"Where did Shiro come from, and what is he? Please explain." She asked and they told her about being attacked by a tiny, but astonishingly powerful hollow without a hole. "A hollow without a hole? There is no such thing."

"We found out about that later." Isshin continued with the story, explaining how they had discovered that Shiro was real, not merely a figment of Ichigo's imagination. Then came Shiro's explanation for his existence. Rukia's gaze snapped over to the hollow, who grinned and waved. "Yes, it's amazing isn't it? We were all absolutely fascinated to find out hollows can breed!" Isshin said happily and Shiro rolled his eyes. He was getting a bit tired of all the tests, although they hadn't done any in a while. But he was betting he'd get a whole new battery now. "It's only a shame we couldn't let anyone in Soul Society know. But given what they would likely do to Ichigo…" Isshin's expression became very serious and Masaki nodded, giving Rukia a firm stare. She blinked before clearing her throat.

"Is there any way to remove him?" She asked and Shiro and Ichigo both scowled as Masaki shook her head.

"No. Isshin, Ryuuken and Kisuke have all examined them both quite thoroughly. Any attempt to remove Shiro-chan from Ichigo would kill them both in a matter of minutes." She said and Rukia bit her lip. "It would be like destroying a shinigami's zanpakuto."

"Even worse. Theoretically, a shinigami could survive the destruction of their zanpakuto for a few days." Isshin said heavily as Rukia winced. "Removing Shiro from Ichigo would completely destabilize them both, with no hope of recovery. It would be a soul shattering." They were two souls in one and there was just no getting around that.

"'Sides, we wouldn't want it." Shiro said, smiling at everyone. "My dam's dead and my sire might be too. Even if he ain't, he's gone on by now. I belong here." This was his family now. Even if he could find his sire, there wouldn't be much connection between them anymore. "Now what did ya mean, that's a serious offense?" That sounded like something they needed to know about.

"A shinigami is forbidden to give their powers to a human." Isshin said heavily and Ichigo and Shiro exchanged a look. While that was bad for Rukia, it was sort of good for them. At least she couldn't report them to Soul Society. "That is because it would kill most humans. The punishments can go up to execution."

"Hoi! That's a bit fucking harsh!" Shiro said, taken aback, and Ichigo nodded with a frown.

"Especially since there was no chance of us being hurt. Shiro swallowed her power with… well, a bit of indigestion. But he came out just fine." He said and Rukia suddenly looked outraged.

"You! You're the reason he took all my power!" She pointed at Shiro, who just shrugged and toed the carpet again. "I was trying to only give him half, but you took everything!"

"Oi, you should be glad I didn't take your soul in the bargain. I'm guessing the only reason I didn't was I wasn't actually trying to feed on ya. You practically force fed me your power, it kinda hurt." Shiro said and Isshin frowned.

"Oh, you and Ichi are so going to get tested again, whitey." Karin said, amused, and Shiro groaned as Ichigo scowled. "They're all going to be all over you for days."

"Well, maybe they can figure out how to get her power out of us and back into her." Ichigo said and Shiro sighed. He was strangely reluctant to give up this power. It felt like something was happening to him, something profound, and it was still in the process of occurring. He didn't know what it was exactly but he didn't want it to stop too soon. On the other hand, if Rukia's life was in danger he would have to give it up. He finally nodded, seconding Ichigo. "Now, can we put her in the guest room?" It was getting late and they all needed to sleep. Masaki nodded.

"Of course. The bed is all set up, we can worry about everything else tomorrow." She said with a smile and Shiro hissed.

"Except my nest! Where'd ya put my pillows?" He demanded and Ichigo resigned himself to spending a good half hour putting back together Shiro's nest. It would be worth the effort though. If Shiro had to sleep in his inner world, he'd be hearing the hollow whining a lot longer. And honestly, he didn't really mind.

He wanted his brother to be happy.

* * *

The next couple weeks were rather predictable.

As Karin had said, Ichigo and Shiro got subjected to plenty of tests. Isshin, Ryuuken and Kisuke all worked together to analyze the results and had many sage things to say, but the gist was that Shiro and Ichigo had completely absorbed Rukia's power. It wasn't coming back out short of desperate measures. However, that was not the end of the world. Shiro hadn't taken her soul, and it was the soul that generated reiatsu. Given enough time, she would recover her strength. Shiro and Ichigo just had to buy her that time.

_Easier said than done. We're gonna have a fun time trying to keep the other shinigami from figuring it out._ Shiro commented and Ichigo sighed, rubbing his head. They had no choice though. He didn't want to see Rukia punished for this, although she thought execution wasn't likely. She would probably get a prison sentence. Ichigo decided not to think about it and opened his juice box, sticking the straw in. Then Mizuiro showed up and started being a bit annoying, insinuating there was something between them.

"She's not my friend. She's Shiro-chan's girlfriend." Ichigo responded with hardly a thought and grinned as he heard Shiro burst into mental laughter. Rukia's yelp and getting hit on the head by a flying juice box was worth it.

"Oh, your mysterious cousin?" Mizuiro said with a smile. "Well, I wouldn't want to get on his bad side!" Ichigo shrugged. He really didn't understand how Shiro had such a fearsome reputation with his friends. He'd never done a single thing to them and they couldn't see him in his full hollow mode, they'd only seen him in his gigai. Yet, they were all afraid of him. "You know, you had that same… feeling he does, a few days ago." Mizuiro said and Ichigo paused, the straw between his lips.

"Feeling? What feeling?" He asked, feeling Shiro's dismay. If his friends could detect his brother when he was handling their body, they had a problem. Mizuiro shrugged with a smile.

"Oh, you know, that thing he has." He said vaguely and Ichigo grimaced. His friend was probably trying to spare his feelings. Everyone knew he and Shiro were close. But it really wasn't helpful right now.

"Mizuiro, I can't feel what 'that thing' is. Please, tell me." He asked and noticed that Rukia was watching and listening curiously. Well, it definitely was interesting. Mizuiro ran a hand through his hair and was about to say something when Keigo interrupted. Ichigo waited patiently as he nattered on about holding a party and thanked Rukia for joining them in the 'squalid garden of manliness.'

_He's got a point, actually. Never see the girls up here._ Shiro commented and Ichigo smirked before taking a sip of his juice. _Might as well put up a 'no girls allowed' sign._

"Ah, but they want girls. Hey! Keigo!" He said sharply and the other kid turned, giving him a slightly freaked out look. "Can you tell me what 'this thing' Shiro-chan has is, exactly?" He wanted to get to the bottom of that. Keigo just looked confused for a moment, then winced.

"Oh, um… that thing! It's nothing really." He said hastily and Ichigo just gave him a patient but deadly look, folding his arms over his chest. "…He's just so cold!" He blurted and Ichigo blinked, feeling Shiro's puzzlement. His brother's personality was anything _but_ cold. "I mean, it's, it's like he sucks the heat out of the air! And the way he grins is super creepy… ah, don't hurt me, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay." Ichigo said absently as he tried to process it. Sucked the heat out of the air? That was just odd.

_It might be an instinct. _Shiro said reluctantly and Ichigo frowned. _I'm a predator and they're prey, that sort of thing. And I don't know what my powers would have been if I'd grown up properly. Maybe they would have been ice based._ Ichigo nodded. That made as much sense as anything. Although if Shiro had that aura when he controlled his body, they might have to think of something else. _Halving your power all the time probably isn't a good idea anyway._

"Yeah, you're right." Ichigo said quietly then blinked as Chad showed up with the talking cockatiel. He was shocked when the thing introduced itself, for all the world like it was a person. Then he stiffened. Maybe it was…?

_Definitely is. Not a hollow, though. Feels like a ghost._ Shiro supplied and Ichigo nodded as Rukia whispered the same thing to him. Then she mentioned giving it konso later and he grimaced. This was killing his sleep, but there was no choice.

Showing spirits the afterlife was Death Gods were for.


End file.
